Boys Like Girls
by Rocheleh
Summary: 8th grader Greg has a repaired relationship with Rodrick and a blooming friendship with Holly Hills. The two brothers start to notice freshman Angie Steadman, but which one will she choose: the aspiring rockstar or the like-minded middle school wimp?
1. Greg's Deal

Greg spun around in his new chair, occasionally glancing at his diary documenting his first two years of middle school. _No, not a diary, _he thought, _a journal._ He thought about his relationship with Rodrick, whom he used to think was just some asinine teenage bully, just like the rest of the kids at his school. When Rodrick had the party while their parents were away, they had to keep everything a secret. The need for secrecy enforced their trust, making them very close. After his father saw the pictures of the party, his brother was crushed. It wasn't even Rodrick's retaliation that hurt him the most, although he liked to pretend it did. It was his own guilt when he heard Rodrick's words that pained him. _You may be my brother, but we will never be friends._ He was glad to have paid his debt by negotiating with his mother at the talent show. Rodrick had his chance of getting a gig and his brotherly relationship was repaired.

He used his feet to push himself – and the chair – away from his desk, hoping the chair would roll to some other spot. The chair, being unable to roll on carpet, toppled over and caused him to fall with a brief, juvenile shout. He gathered his surroundings as he got up, watching Rodrick open the door with a smile.

"You dork!" he laughed, his eyes adorned with eyeliner.

"Says the guy wearing girl's makeup!" he cleverly retorted before regretting it. Who knows what Rodrick will do now?

"Take that back, you little dufus," Rodrick joked, his eyes glaring at his little brother. Greg wasn't sure whether he should be scared or if he should appreciate the normalcy accompanied by his brother's taunts. He decided to do the latter and laughed it off.

Greg got up, checking the time. It was about four o'clock. He arranged a deal that if Rodrick drove him to Rowley's today, he would pick up Rodrick's chores and do most of the work involved in taking care of little Manny. He picked up a few movies (Insidious and Children of the Corn in cases belonging to the Land Before Time series) and reminded Rodrick to take him to Rowley's.

"Fine, dork, but remember our deal. You take care of that little brat!"

Greg smiled at his brother as they made their way down the stairs, which Rodrick had pushed him down off of quite a few times before over the summer. Greg still had that little bruise on his butt from a few weeks ago. He smiled at the memory, despite it being not a happy one, when his mother addressed the two brothers.

"Rodrick, remember to pick up Greg at seven, you need to be back in order to watch Manny!"

"I'll remember, Mom."

"And, Rodrick, fix your hair," Susan said, approached him with a hairbrush.

"Mom, leave me alone," Rodrick replied, refusing to let Susan touch his messy, unkempt hair.

"Alright, alright! Greg, have fun at Rowley's!"

The two brothers laughed as they exited the house and made their way to Rodrick's van, which stunk of body odor, smelly shoes and half-eaten food. Greg had become quite accustomed to the van with its odor and the constant playing of Rodrick's poorly developed music. _He's such a wannabe!_

"Can you imagine Mom and Dad on date night?" Rodrick laughed, putting the van in gear.

"Since when do adults have fun?" Greg replied. "That mother-son event two years ago scarred me for life."

They both laughed at the radical idea of their parents dancing as they drove off in the familiar neighborhood, making their way to Rowley's house. Rowley was twirling around in his front yard, causing Rodrick to crack up.

"How are you still friends with that dork?"

"He's my best friend," Greg replied as he opened the door, grabbing his movies.

Rodrick watched his little brother accompany Rowley before thinking of something embarrassing to say to him.

"I love you, sweetie!" Rodrick cracked, making Greg stick his middle finger at him before his van sped its way from the house.

"Stop it, Greg, you don't want my dad to see," Rowley whispered. "And what did you bring?"

They stopped in front of the door and Greg brought out the dvds, opening the cases to reveal the horror movies he was planning to sneak into the house. Rowley became wide-eyed.

"Greg, you know what happened last time we saw a scary movie," he whimpered quietly.

"Yeah, but Rowley," he replied, "That was at night. It's light out now. Besides, we aren't sissies anymore, _are we?_"

"I guess not," Rowley said quietly, looking down.

They went into the house, going straight to Rowley's room to watch the movies. Rowley's strict dad eyed them, not that they cared. They closed the door behind them and Greg immediately put in Children of the Corn. They leaped on the bed, ready to watch the film.

"I talked with Holly Hills yesterday and she told me about these movies. Turns out, her older sister is a total cinephile. She watches movies from the seventies and eighties, when our _parents_ were kids! She _hates_ remakes," Greg recalled.

"Greg, what's a cinephile?"

"It's someone who really likes movies."

"Then wouldn't _everyone_ be a cinephile?"

"Maybe."

The film began, the opening scene revealing a bunch of teenagers killing their parents in a town known as Gatlin, where a cult full of adult-killing children started. The movie revealed a few rebels, one of them dying when trying to escape. Greg turned his head to see Rowley's mouth agape.

"Rowley, it's just a movie, relax."

Some time passed and near the end of the movie, Greg decided to put in Insidious, for he was tired of the poor graphics. They watched the film with fervor, Greg becoming engrossed in the horror, Rowley fascinated by the emotional connections. Despite Rowley being his best friend, Greg thought he was sometimes just too much of a sissy. Greg sometimes shouted 'boo' at Rowley, who would insist that it wasn't funny when Greg laughed. Greg became more fascinated when the scene of Josh's journey to the Further came, waiting for the moments when Rowley would literally jump.

"Greg, I don't wanna watch this anymore," Rowley whimpered, a scared expression on his cherubic face.

"Rowley, it's getting to the good part," Greg replied, brushing off Rowley's complaints.

They both watched attentively, surprised that every scene wasn't the end yet. The scene where the mother sees the picture of the old woman finally came on and Rowley let out a short scream, causing Greg to crack up. He got up to take the disc out and knew what Rowley would say next.

"Greg, that's not funny!" Rowley whined again.

"It is, too. You should've seen your face," Greg said, smiling as he took his dvds with their mismatched cases.

"Yeah, but now I'm gonna have nightmares."

"Don't tell your dad, Rowley. He hates me enough already."

"He still hates you for breaking my arm in sixth grade. You know my wrist still clicks."

Greg turned around again to face Rowley and tried to reassure him. "Rowley, you know I'm still sorry about that whole year."

"I know," he replied and changed the topic. "What do you wanna do now?"

"I dunno. Eat? I know you're always hungry."

Rowley looked down again at the carpet floor. "My dad says I need to go on a diet."

"Who cares?" Greg replied. "Hey remember that girl we met in sixth grade, Angie Steadman, the one a grade above us?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I stopped by Rodrick's school the other day to see if she was there because I wanted to ask her what High School was like. She's actually hot now. I'm starting to think she's better looking than Holly Hills."

"But you were crushing on Holly Hills all of last year."

"I know. But still, have you seen Angie lately?"

"Can we do something else? I'm bored."

Greg spotted the unused Wii in the corner of his room and made the suggestion. Rowley told him that his father told him to stop playing the Wii so much and to play outside more. Greg's eyes explored the room, trying to think of something to do for the half-hour they had left.

"We could figure out how to ditch P.E. tomorrow," Greg suggested.

"But I don't want to get in trouble and Freggley will follow us behind the bleachers."

"There are other places to hide," Greg reassured.

"I'm not gonna ditch class, Greg. My dad's already suspicious."

"Whatever."

Rodrick soon came to the house, picking up Greg and they sped off in the van that blasted heavy metal. Greg reclined in the passenger seat, noticing an odd smell. He turned around to see a half of a pack of cigarettes strewn around the floor.

"Those aren't mine, you know," Rodrick explained, as if he read his mind. "My band mate brought those in. Almost got in trouble for it, too."

Greg wanted to believe him and pushed any negative thoughts aside, listening to the songs. He started to enjoy them now. It was getting dark pretty soon and he ran into the house when they got home, his brother nonchalantly following him.

"Greg did you have fun at Rowley's?" Susan asked.

"Yup," he replied monotonously, staying downstairs in case something happened with Manny, who was sitting on the potty seat at the table.

"Now, we'll be out for a few hours, be sure to take good care of Manny," Susan reminded them as she put on her jacket, waiting for Frank to accompany her. She kissed Manny and hugged the two brothers goodbye, much to their repulsion. Frank messed with Greg's hair as he made an odd face, waiting for them to finally close the door behind them.

"You remember the deal, Greg? You're on baby duty."

Rodrick rushed to his room, practicing his drum sessions while Greg glanced at Manny one more time. Manny smile at him while eating a chocolate bar, most of it ending up on his face.

"Bubby!"

Greg instantly knew this was going to be a long night.


	2. Holly Hills

Greg nearly fell asleep during English today. He thought about his blooming friendship with Holly Hills, who seemed just perfect in his eyes. She was pretty, played sports and could relate to his sibling issues. When they ran into each other at the nursing home, he listened to her story of her older sister filling her shampoo bottle with hair remover. Thinking about what Holly told him about her sister, he thought that Rodrick would get along well with her. She was a horror cinephile and he loved music, particularly heavy metal and both tormented their younger siblings. They would be a perfect match! Suddenly, he thought of how awkward it would be if one day, they all got married and had a double wedding. _Ugh!_ He pushed the thought aside as he passed a note to Holly, who now sat next to him.

"You wanna ditch PE?" he wrote to her.

"Sure, but how?"

"We can't go with the bleachers because someone will find us there and turn us in."

"What about behind the school?"

"Sure."

Holly smiled at him as she received the note before doodling lovely things in her notebook. She adjusted her jean jacket and white skirt, the outfit she wore the day they met at the roller rink. His brother embarrassed him that day and he thought he lost his chances with Holly. Turns out, she couldn't relate more to his situation.

Greg daydreamed about ditching PE when his thoughts turned to Angie. She was in the seventh grade when they first met behind the bleachers, he avoiding a pounding from a bunch of Neanderthals and she reading a book. He dismissed her that day and they had an awkward friendship that year. The following year, they barely talked to each other but they bonded a little more over the summer. She had developed a little over the year and her style changed a little. Before, she looked like a journalist and now she looked a little edgier, which accentuated something Greg liked in her, but he didn't know what. When Holly and Greg smiled at each other, Patty Farrell shot a nasty look at him. He shrugged it off, not caring what she thought anymore. She was a bitchy know-it-all who thought she had friends when in reality they hated her. _Someday she'll get a taste of her own medicine._ The little fantasy satisfied him enough to last until PE, when he would ditch with Holly.

* * *

><p>Greg waited anxiously behind the school for Holly, wondering what they would do until the period ended. He checked his watch, trying to think of some good conversations. <em>So what's Heather like?<em> Nah, he already knew too much about her sister. _Remember when we first met at the roller rink?_ They related with horrible sibling experiences, so why not? His heart jumped when he saw the blonde porcelain doll approach him, her lip-gloss glimmering.

"So what made you want to ditch PE with me?" he asked her since it's been on his mind all day. "You love soccer. Hell, you love any kind of sport."

"There's a little drama with the girls. Patty Farrell's been on my ass lately. She gets mad if my heads not in the game but if I exceed her, she turns into a bitch. You can't win with her," she replied, sometimes her face being turned away as her hair went with the soft breeze.

"I know what you mean. She hates me. Did I tell you about the time I threw apples at Patty during the school play two years ago?"

"You threw apples at Patty Farrell?" Holly asked, mouth agape. "I'd do so much to get that opportunity!"

"She got mad at me because the music teacher thought I'd be good for _Dorothy,_ as if I wanted a girl role. I ended up as a tree and we threw fake apples at her and ruined the play," he recalled, watching her smile. "Now that I think about it, you'd be a good Dorothy."

"Who do you think Patty Farrell _should_ have played?"

"Duh, the Tin-Man," he easily retorted before playfully singing, "Oh, if I only had a heart!"

Holly cracked up at his joke, combing her beach blonde hair out of her face and fixing her skirt. She suddenly came up with a better comeback.

"Or Scarecrow. _Oh, if I only had a brain!"_

Greg couldn't hold in his laughter when they suddenly heard some footsteps. A teacher was stepping out the back door when Greg and Holly crouched, hoping he wouldn't see them.

"That was so close," Holly whispered. "I've never ditched class before!"

"There's a first time for everything."

They giggled as they sneaked back into the building, preparing for their respective classes. Greg clumsily dropped his belongings and Holly immediately helped him.

"So why do you go for a guy like me?" Greg asked, pondering this question for a long time.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just tired of going with the Alphas," she answered as she left for whatever class she had.

Greg left to his class, daydreaming the whole time and smiling. He barely noticed Patty Farrell pass his desk with a frown. He didn't care about Patty, why should he? Holly Hills beating Patty Farrell at any game made him grin from ear to ear.

"What are you smiling at, _Heffley?_" Patty scorned.

"Oh, nothing. Overachievers just happen to brighten up my day, that's all," he teased, hoping to provoke her.

"Like you would _ever_ be as good as me," she bitched.

"Oh, I'm crushed," he mocked her. "Because some day, I want to be just like you. I figure all I need is a castration and a lobotomy."

"Can't remove what you don't have!"

"Like you aren't missing something?" he asked. "You would've been a good Tin-Man. _Oh, if I only had a heart!"_

"Go to hell, Heffley!"

"Anywhere you won't be!"

"Ugh!"

He would _certainly_ tell Holly Hills about this later. Suddenly, he realized he didn't care as much about Holly Hills as he used to. Someone else replaced that person in his mind.

_Angie._


	3. Angie Steadman

Greg shuffled in the passenger seat of Rodrick's van, listening to rock music again. It wasn't the normal heavy metal Rodrick listened to. It was slower, yet had a darker, sensual element.

"When did you get this?" Greg asked.

"Girl gave it to me. Freshman too. Man," he replied, becoming lost in his thoughts about the mystery girl.

"Oh yeah, what's she like?" Greg asked, suddenly curious about Rodrick's new crush.

Rodrick replied. "Dirty blonde babe with a hell of an attitude. She's into rock music, writes a lot and smart too."

"Smart, eh?" Greg retorted. "She's automatically too good for you."

"Don't push it, dork."

"Since when do you like freshmen?"

"Since now," Rodrick said, flashing a dirty smile at no one in particular when he turned up the music. "Someday she'll write me a dirty story."

"Sicko."

"Ehh, don't worry dork. You're young yet," Rodrick teased and Greg laughed it off, staring into the road ahead.

The van came to an abrupt stop back at Rodrick's high school, causing Greg to jerk forward. A bunch of Rodrick's things in the back slid toward the front and cigarettes from yesterday sprinkled the floor. Rodrick tried to clean up as much of the mess as possible when someone knocked on the van's back doors. Rodrick pushed a button, unlocking the back doors.

"Thanks for the ride, Rodrick," Greg heard a familiar voice and turned around.

"_Angie?_"

"You know the dork?" Rodrick asked the dirty blonde, pointing to his little brother.

"Yeah," Angie replied, as if it should have been no surprise.

"This is the 'dirty blonde babe' you were talking about?" Greg interrogated.

They started driving and Angie found a comfortable place to sit in the back. She undid her hair, which now sported a few curls among mostly straight strands. She wore ripped jeans, a black tank top with a jean vest and black converse with studs. Angie looked back at Rodrick, who flipped the song to her favorite: Gimme Danger by the Stooges.

"So you've been listening to the CD I gave you," Angie said.

"Yup, this stuff is a lot better than heavy metal," Rodrick replied, giving Greg a wink before they stopped at their place.

Rodrick pulled the key out of ignition while the two kids got out of the van, rushing into Greg's house. Rodrick nonchalantly strolled in, twirling the keys with his fingers while pursing his lips, fantasizing about the little freshman. He walked in, casually grabbing some pudding from the fridge and walked up to his room.

"So Rodrick's in a band?" Angie asked, following Greg up to his room.

"A bad one. The name's 'Loded Diper'. He couldn't even spell it right."

"They need a new name," Angie laughed, adjusting her tank top.

Greg studied the freshman. Her body is a little more slender and her chest was a little more developed. She looked more womanly than when he first met her and he smiled a little, wondering what fantasy he could come up with. _Like she would date me!_

"So this is your room," Angie said without any tone.

"It's nothing, really," Greg replied. "So how's High School?"

"It sucks, really. People are just older, but still immature and we have more homework now."

She plopped on the bed, staring at the ceiling and sighing. Greg stood beside the bed, his thoughts alternating between Angie and Holly and their comparisons. Angie seemed nothing like Holly, except for the fact that they both despise Patty Farrell. Holly was just the ideal girl: pretty, smart and talented. Angie, however, had a point of view. She dressed more _creatively_ in a way. He couldn't find something to outweigh the other, so he pushed the thought aside.

"So how's middle school been?" Angie asked.

"Good, I guess. My brother and I are closer now and I'm friends with Holly Hills," Greg enthusiastically stated.

"Holly Hills?"

"She transferred last year. She's _perfect_. Pretty, smart, athletic, talented and hates Patty Farrell. What's not to like?"

"She sounds like a Mary-Sue," Angie said, sitting up again and watching Greg sit beside her.

"What's a Mary-Sue?"

"Have you ever read fanfiction?"

"No."

"Well, a Mary-Sue is a character without any sort of flaw and would be impossible to meet in real life," Angie replied.

"Once you meet her, you'll like her, trust me," Greg replied.

Rodrick barged in with the phone in his hand and his eyes accentuated with glittery eyeliner. Greg laughed at the sight, not caring if Rodrick would beat him up later. Angie just stared at the both of them, a little confused.

"Your mom called, Angie," he said, handing her the phone.

"Thanks," she replied, leaving Greg's room with the phone to held to her face.

Once Angie left, Rodrick approached Greg as if he were a menace. Greg leaned back; a little scared of Rodrick right now. Somehow, the girly make-up made him seem intimidating.

"Are you trying to steal Angie from me?" Rodrick asked with a menacing voice.

"No," Greg quivered.

"If you do, you little dufus, you are _so dead_!"

Rodrick left his room, leaving Greg scared of what he might do if he ever went after Angie. He remembered Rodrick videotaping everything on the security camera at the nursing home and wondered if he still had the videotape. _He gave it to me in the seventh grade._ He found the tape in his drawer and took it out, examining it.

"My damn brother!" he muttered.

He dropped the tape on the floor and jumped on it. _Not broken enough. _He scanned the room and found an old baseball bat and pounded it against the tape, denting it and eventually breaking it in two.

"There," he muttered, "That should do it."


	4. Not Backing Down

Greg reflected on yesterday while Rodrick played the CD Angie loaned him. Rodrick threatened him in case he ever pursued the freshman girl and then he broke the videotape from the nursing home. The remains of it was now in the trash somewhere and Rodrick was smiling about something Greg was sure he didn't want to know about. He was just happy that he didn't have to listen to crappy heavy metal anymore, particularly songs titled "Explosiv Diper". And yes, it was spelled like that, according to Rodrick.

Greg made his way out of the van when they arrived, greeting Rowley and Chirag. Even though they tried to avoid Freggley, he somehow always found them. He didn't seem to get that they didn't like him, except maybe Rowley. Chirag never grew, to Greg's amusement. He remembered the time he pretended Chirag was invisible until Chirag got back at Greg by dressing up as Holly. Now that he thought about it, it was pretty funny.

"You wanna see my secret freckle?" Freggley asked, popping out of nowhere.

"No, gross," Greg quickly answered, rushing inside the building to get to his locker and then to class.

He was opening his locker and collecting his books when Patty Farrell slammed the locker shut with an angry face.

"What has Holly Hills been saying about me?" she asked in a demanding tone.

"Nothing," he said, hoping that wouldn't backfire on him.

"Don't even talk to her, Heffley, you hear me? Don't even think about it!"

"Why not, Patty?" he challenged, a little bit scared but not showing it.

"Because you don't want me to beat you up _again!_" she angrily retorted, hoping that it would make Greg back off, which it didn't.

"You know what, Patty?"

"_What?"_

"I'll hang out with whoever I want and I don't care if you beat me up. All that will show is you're an immature brat. And you know what else? Holly Hills hates you!" he lashed out, glad to have finally stood up to her.

He turned his back, hearing her squeal in fury, and proceeded to class where he would meet up with Holly again. _Wait until she hears about this!_ He grinned from ear to ear, nonchalantly getting to his seat and waiting for class to start. The bell was soon about to ring when Bryce Anderson approached him.

"I heard you finally stood up to Patty Farrell," he said, a little impressed with him. "By the way, why is Holly dating _you_?"

"Dating?" he asked, confused. "We're just friends."

"That makes sense," Bryce replied. "That means I still have a chance."

Greg looked at him oddly and stared down at his desk, which had a few pencil doodles and a little message that said, "Fuck homework". _Typical middle school. _He thought back to when Angie met him for the first time and told him that this was an "intellectual wasteland". She wasn't far off from her description, he concluded. He ignored the writing and tried not to fall asleep during the whole class and eventually, lunch.

He put a few books into his locker and proceeded to the cafeteria when Patty stopped him in his tracks.

"I don't care what you told me this morning, Heffley! You do not look at Holly, you don't touch her, you don't think about her!" she scorned.

He glared at her, happy that he grew tall enough to look her straight in the eye, his hands gripping the tray tightly. He was quite tired of Patty bossing him around and tried to fight her with every sarcastic comment he could think of.

"Why? Do you have a crush on her?" he cracked.

"I am _not_ like that, Heffley! Do you want me to beat you up in front of everybody and show everyone just how much of a _wimp_ you are?" she threatened. Man, was she relentless!

"You know what, Patty? Go ahead!" he shouted, just loud enough to catch everyone's attention. "Beat me up and let everyone, including the faculty, and eventually your stupid parents, just how screwed up you are! Beat me up all because you don't want me to think about Holly Hills. All because _you_ have a _crush_ on her!"

He felt a little guilty for accusing her of being, well you know, but at the same time, he was glad that she was the butt of jokes now. Just then, Holly walked into the cafeteria, wondering what the ruckus was all about. Patty Farrell stormed out, both hurt and indignant, when the students started cheering. He wouldn't be surprised if Patty felt that way about Holly. He remembered the times when little girls were told that boys picked on them because they liked them. Maybe the same dynamic was taking place.

"Greg, what happened?" Holly asked.

"I finally stood up to Patty after she threatened to beat me up," he replied, omitting the part about her fake-crush.

"Why'd she threaten you?"

"She told me not to hang around you and I told her I could hang around whoever I want. She finally got a taste of her own medicine," he said gleefully.

They sat down together, eating their lunch. Greg had the classic school lunch that sometimes moved and Holly had sushi dropped off. He asked her why she was late and she told him about the audition for a commercial. Her talent always fascinated him.

"Hey Greg," Rowley greeted with a grin on his cherubic face, waving at them. "Hi Holly."

"Hey, Rowley," she kindly greeted, not seeming arrogant at all. He took his place beside Greg and Holly's friend, Anna Sands, sat beside her, grinning about Patty's embarrassment.

"Holly, did you hear about Patty?" she asked.

"I know Greg stood up to her," she replied.

"Did you also hear Patty likes you, you know, _that_ way?" Anna replied, causing Holly to go wide-eyed.

Greg looked down at his almost-inedible food and tried to think of something to get him out of this situation. Holly stared back at him with a shocked expression and Greg avoided her glance, excusing himself to go to the bathroom. He left his tray behind because he couldn't eat his food anyway. He hated that sick feeling in his stomach.

He fled to his locker, knowing the halls would be empty. Fumbling with the lock, he looked for a reason to be at his locker. His cell phone was hidden in there, so he decided to check his texts. There was one from Angie.

"Hey, Greg. Rodrick told me he can't pick you up today. My mom is driving in the direction of your school so I could give you a ride. Plz respond."

His heart skipped a beat and he quickly replied, saying that he would take up the offer and hang at her house. After it was sent, he threw his phone back in his locker and slammed it shut, waiting out the rest of lunch. He proceeded to his next class, everyone staring at him.

"Greg, why'd you say that to Patty?" Rowley whispered to his left.

"I had to. She would never leave me alone," Greg justified.

"That doesn't make it okay!"

"Oh and how many others are going to be sanctimonious about this?" he retorted before sorting out his books.

"It's not funny!" Rowley replied before going back to his work, all neatly sorted. Typical Rowley.

Holly sat on his other side and looked at him, letting him know what he did wasn't cool. How many others will react like this? Everyone was cheering in the cafeteria. Can't people make up their minds? He sighed, combing his hand through his neatly trimmed hair. He fell asleep in class and was surprised he didn't get caught. Just as well, he thought. It seemed history repeats itself.

He left the classroom and fell asleep throughout his other courses, being woken up only by the bell. Greg finally trudged out of the school and found Angie waiting by her mom's car, happy to see her.

"Hey, Ang!" he greeted.

"Hey, Greg," she smiled, twirling pink strands of her hair, her other hand in her pocket, "So we're staying at my place for a while and then your mom will pick you up later."

"Alright," he replied with his usual wimpy smile before hopping into the car.

He threw his backpack aside, closing the door behind him while Angie got herself settled in the front seat, her mom driving off. Angie turned on the radio to some rock station and relaxed. Greg thought of his older brother and his threats if he ever hung around Angie. He _could_ explain that he had no choice in the matter. _No choice._ That seemed to apply to a lot of things. He focused his attention to other things.

He remembered really liking Holly in the seventh grade and remained unsure of why that changed. Angie had once called her a "Mary-Sue", whatever that meant. Why did Rodrick like her so much?

All he knew now was he wasn't backing down.


	5. Down and Back again

Angie's mom kept asking her how her day was and inquired about Greg's situation, much to the pair's annoyance. Greg pulled out his phone and sent Angie a text.

_Do u like Rodrick?_

A single beep came from his cell phone and he looked away. He heard another beep coming from the front seat and heard the pressing of buttons, trying to suppress a smile. He hoped Angie didn't like Rodrick. If she did, he would feel all the more guilty for liking her instead of Holly. Things like this drove him crazy.

_Wht do u mean_

_I mean like-him-like-him._

_Not really. Y?_

Greg immediately stopped texting her and sighed. The car pulled up to his house and he took his backpack, walking away from the car when Angie called out, saying goodbye. He turned around, waving goodbye. She flashed what he could have _swore_ was a flirty smile and the car drove away. _She really is pretty._

Greg entered the house to be greeted by his brother, Mr. Sex-Hair. He sported his rather appalling eyeliner, even more than he usually did. Even his shirt stank more than usual.

"So, dork, you aren't copping a feel of Angie, are you?" he teased, waving around drumsticks.

"Back off, I'm not having a good day," Greg spat at him.

"Woah, wait a minute," Rodrick pushed Greg with his drumstick when Greg tried to proceed up the stairs. "What's up?"

"Fucking Patty Ferrell wouldn't get off my back for hanging with Holly so I panicked and accused her of having a lesbian crush on her!"

Now Rodrick was _definitely _interested. His jaw was agape (while holding a smile, which was just like him) and he scratched his hand with the end of his drumstick. He let out a little surprised "ooh".

"So when did this happen?"

"At lunch," Greg explained. "Rowley's mad at me and Holly's, well, I dunno."

"Dork!" Rodrick shouted. "What's wrong with you? You turned the tables on your arch nemesis."

He then leaned in and whispered. "Listen to me, buddy, that is more than I can ever say for middle school."

Rodrick smiled and tapped Greg's butt with his stupid drumsticks before leaping upstairs to look at Playboy magazines. Greg, however, just felt tormented and guilty. He felt he had to admit everything to Holly Hills, so he whipped out his phone and texted her.

_I have a confession to make. Patty's not actually lesbian. I made it up to get back at her for something. –Greg_

_P.S. I'm sorry._

The guilt was lifted, but he still felt worried about how Holly would react. Greg decided to get started on homework, so he trudged up the stairs and went to his room to get started on it. He soon found, as always, that he was hesitant to get started. This left him bored, spinning around in his chair restlessly and staring at the ceiling. All of the sudden, he got a text from Angie.

_Hey greg. There's a high school party tomorrow, wanna come w/ me_

He knew it was going to be a school night and his parents would be just plain _pissed_ if they found out. He would have to lie about his whereabouts, but it wasn't so easy getting passed Rodrick. He wondered if Rodrick got invited to many high school parties and texted Angie back.

_R u inviting rodrick 2?_

_Y?_

_I need an excuse to give my parents._

_I'll invite him._

_K_

He cheered up a little now, knowing that Rodrick will soon be in on this too, and breathed out again. He knew there would be drinking and such, but what did he care? He was going to see Angie. Better yet, it was going to be at some nice place with no chaperones and all the freedom.

He was _so_ in!


	6. Greg and Rodrick's Alibi

"Holy shit!" Rodrick burst into Greg's room just seconds later.

"What?" Greg asked, annoyed.

"You know the dirty blonde babe freshie?"

Greg spun around in his chair, facing the older teen. He kicked his legs, feigning boredom. Rodrick held out his phone.

"She invited me to a house party," Rodrick squealed before catching himself. "Well, it's not like I don't get invited to parties, but still, you know, _Angie."_

"Rodrick," Greg said, looking closer at the phone. "It said she invited _us_."

"Like you're going?" Rodrick laughed. "I'm just kidding, don't embarrass yourself. I'll tell Mom we're doing some 'brotherly bonding'."

Greg chuckled and spun around to finish his homework, realizing that he had a lot to get done. It took him almost until dinner to complete his assignments. When they finally ate dinner, Greg was forced to watch over Manny, who somehow mastered getting people into trouble before table manners. Manny kept spitting food and shouting "bubby" spontaneously, which drove the younger adolescent boy crazy.

"Oh, mom," Rodrick said with his mouth full of mashed potatoes. "I was thinking, maybe Greg and I could go see a movie tomorrow."

Frank Heffley nodded, thinking it was a good idea. However, Susan gave a stern look at Frank and answered Rodrick.

"Tomorrow's a school night."

"But mom!" Greg raised his voice, and then lowered it, as he wasn't in the best position to negotiate. "I've been doing better in school, Rodrick and I both are. Besides, we'll finish our homework early and then go to a night showing."

"Really?" Susan asked skeptically. "And what movie will you be seeing?"

Greg sensed Rodrick panicking when he kept saying "umm, uh, oh" and felt himself lose control of his thoughts. Rodrick glared at Greg, who returned the panicked stare before finally saying something.

"We haven't decided. We wanted to ask your permission first."

"Huh," Susan muttered. "I'm glad you're responsible."

When dinner was finally over, Rodrick and Greg raced upstairs and high-fived each other. Greg rolled in his spinning chair to the laptop he was borrowing from his mother (which was supposed to be for homework _only_) and looked up movie showings at the local theater. Rodrick stared at him quizzically.

"You know we aren't actually going to a movie, right?"

"Yeah, I know, Rodrick," Greg answered. "But we need something to tell mom. That movie thing was pretty clever. That way, they can't call us."

"Umm, sure," Rodrick muttered. "So what movie?"

Greg scrolled down on the computer, looking at different movies. At first, he thought of seeing _The Foot 2_, but saw that it was Rated R and tried to find something else. He couldn't pick an animation movie, as his parents would never believe that Rodrick would dare watch it. Finally, he saw the perfect option.

"Rodrick!" Greg shouted, giving him a backwards slap to the shoulder. "This one's perfect."

"Which one?"

"Look, there's a showing the same time as that party, and our parents would totally believe we would see it!"

"Which one, damn it?" Rodrick asked, running his fingers through his own hair.

"Rock-stars vs. Skaters," Greg answered, "It has a PG-13 rating."

Rodrick chuckled. "You know, the funny thing is, I actually wanted to see that movie."

Greg went to bed that night feeling oddly optimistic. Despite the fact that Rodrick would be there, Greg felt confident that he could get with Angie (not for a hook up, he just wanted to dance). How would he distract Rodrick from Angie? He hoped that there were enough of his friends at the party to keep him occupied (or at the very least, hot older girls). As he tried to fall asleep, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

_Angie, here I come…_


	7. Tonight

_Goddamit_, Greg thought to himself. _Why does time pass by so slowly?_

He was stuck in history class learning about the Revolutionary War. He had already heard about Lexington and Concord for the umpteenth time, so he could let himself snooze for a little bit. It would help pass time. He was tired of counting down the minutes to tonight's party.

A good fifteen minutes had passed until the teacher noticed that Greg had passed out. He promptly came to his desk and slammed a ruler on it, breaking it in half. A broken piece flung itself at Rowley's feet. Everyone watched intently, especially Patty Farrell. Greg pushed his head up, looking at everyone with groggy eyes, and slightly snarled at Patty. Her and her stupid pigtail braids!

"Mr. Heffley!" the teacher shouted before simply glaring at the student.

Somehow, Greg hadn't gotten in as much trouble as he thought he would. This made him glad. The feeling was only reinforced when he saw Patty turn around in frustration. He guessed that Patty still had some sort of vendetta against him after he accused her of being a lesbian. Greg looked over at Holly Hills, who was finishing up an assignment that the teacher had handed out earlier. Greg saw that there was one placed on his desk, now featuring a drool spot.

They were dismissed for lunch and Greg kept thinking about Angie. What would be wearing to tonight's party? Where _was_ the house party? He assumed that Angie would text the address to either Rodrick or himself later. Greg decided to focus on the potential problems he could face right now, hoping to get them over with.

"Hi Greg!" Rowley greeted.

Chirag and Freggley were standing behind him. Greg didn't mind Chirag, but Freggley was unfathomably disgusting. Greg was trying not to throw up. Freggley stunk and was blissfully unaware of it.

"Hey guys," he replied. "I'm so hungry I think I can actually eat the school lunch."

"What's wrong with school lunch?" Freggley asked.

Greg had no idea how Freggley ate the stuff here. He assumed that Freggley's stomach was so acidic that it could break down anything without making him sick. Must be some sort of superpower.

They all ignored the boy's comment and headed to the cafeteria. Greg wondered if Holly was mad at him for what he did to Patty and decided to seek her out. He needed confirmation.

He finally found her talking to Anna Sands and Patty Farrell. Greg wondered why Patty and Holly were suddenly getting along and chose to leave them be when Patty called him over.

"Hey, wimp!" she called. "What's your problem?"

"Nothing," he shrugged and walked away.

Maybe he wasn't suited for confrontation.

* * *

><p>It had been a long day. There was more homework than usual, so Greg was especially stressed out. He had hoped to get more of it done before the party. Greg was glad that he had received the address for the house party and hoped that Rodrick wouldn't end up getting lost on the way there. Greg strategically finished the homework immediately due tomorrow and put a little work into one long-term project. Susan came in to check on Greg and smiled.<p>

"Nice to see you're keeping your promise," she spoke softly.

Greg smiled back, glad to be able to keep up appearances. Maybe he had gotten better at lying. He could hear Rodrick's pounding footsteps and saw his older brother peer his head behind the door. He slipped, knocking something over and alerting Susan.

"Just checking on my brother," he said. "Make sure he finishes his homework before our brotherly bonding time."

Susan smiled, despite how fake Rodrick's words sounded. How could she be so oblivious? Greg relished in this while he put some papers into one of his school folders. Susan left the room to Rodrick and Greg. Rodrick slipped in and closed the door.

"You got the address?" Rodrick asked.

"Yep," Greg said with a smile, showing Rodrick the text.

Rodrick smiled. "Good. Now, I don't want you looking like a dork, so..."

The older male looked through Greg's drawers, scoffing at what he saw. Greg sighed. _Typical Rodrick._

"Now, Greg," Rodrick started. "We need you to be _not _a dork." He then snorted to himself. "Who am I kidding? You're always a dork. We'll just make you _less_ of a dork."

Greg got up, looking at what Rodrick was picking out for him. Most of the time, Rodrick laughed at Greg's wardrobe, moving clothes around as if they belonged to him. Finally, he came across a plain black shirt. Rodrick nodded his head a bit, seemingly satisfied with what he found, and tossed it on the bed. Rodrick started looking through Greg's pants, sighing at the fact that they all looked the same.

"Just wear darker pants," Rodrick recommended. "And use some gel to keep that one hair strand from sticking up."

"Okay, Rodrick."

* * *

><p>Susan made both boys eat dinner early so they wouldn't buy too much candy at the movies. Frank was still painting his action figures, so it was up to Susan to give them money for tickets. Rodrick pretended to be annoyed that there would be little money for popcorn and candy, prompting a stern look from Susan. Greg had to bite his lip to keep from laughing at how Susan so easily fell for Rodrick's acting.<p>

"Now you boys have fun," Susan said with a smile. "What movie was it again?"

"Rock-stars Vs. Skaters," Greg replied quickly.

"Bye boys," Susan responded, hugging them both like the protective mother she was. Greg struggled not to roll his eyes.

They both raced to Rodrick's van, slamming the doors shut. Rodrick played the song Gimme Danger again. Greg knew that he would be competing for Angie's attention and sighed.

"What's wrong, dork?" Rodrick asked.

"I'm just hoping this gel holds up," Greg lied. "That and I don't want Mom trying to check on us or something."

Rodrick scoffed. "Relax, Greg, she thinks we'll be at a movie. She can't call us nor can she enter the theatre without a ticket. If she wonders where we have been, we could tell her we movie-hopped."

"We'd still get in trouble for something like that."

"Better than telling her that we drove to some house party."

Greg shrugged, glad to finally go to a high school party (excluding his brother's). Rodrick couldn't find any booze for his party, as neither of his parents drank (except for wine during a special occasion), which left a few of his friends disappointed. He was still credited with having an awesome party. No doubt was Rodrick thinking of how much better tonight's party would be if there was beer.

Rodrick pulled to a large house on the North side. There were a few people drunkenly stumbling on the front lawn and one girl ran inside the house only to forget to open the door. Both Rodrick and Greg started to crack up when Angie came out of the house.

Greg stared at her. She had pretty curly hair, her lips were a nice shade of red, and she wore a tight-fitting black dress. Greg noticed a tattoo on her leg and wondered how she got that if she was under eighteen. He noticed that he started drooling and quickly wiped his mouth.

"Hey Angie," Rodrick complimented, gazing at her body.

"Hi Rodrick," she replied nonchalantly.

Before she could greet Greg, Rodrick directed her attention to some guy jumping off of a low part of the roof. The guy landed in some bushes, getting his face scratched up, and he yelled with his fists up and his index and pinkie finger extended. Angie and Rodrick both started cracking up before they entered the house, leaving Greg behind.

_This is going to be a long night._


	8. So Dead

"Greg!" Angie called from inside the house. "Aren't you coming?"

"Yeah!" Greg replied. "Just a sec."

"Alright!"

Greg watched Angie and Rodrick disappear and looked around, hoping for some place to sit alone. Already, he was feeling miserable, and he wished he knew someone other than Angie at this party. For the most part, the North-side house was populated with obnoxious jocks, drunken cheerleaders, and badly behaved punks. The wimpy 8th grader stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Greg!" shouted a familiar voice from behind him.

Greg turned around, surprised to see Holly Hills in front of him. He hadn't expected someone with such a clean reputation to be at a trashy high school party. She smiled at Greg before her attention shifted to the kid that had fallen into the bush. She cocked her head to the side, appearing confused, and she shifted her gaze back to Greg.

"Holly, what are you doing here?" Greg asked.

"I'm looking for my sister," she confessed. "Heather is actually grounded for… well, it's a long story, but anyway, she snuck out and I'm trying to get her back before my parents come home."

"Well, I wouldn't know, I just got here," Greg said. "I could help you, though."

"Thanks!"

Greg and Holly went inside the house. Though Greg was bummed out because he would hardly be able to spend time with Angie, he at least found someone he knew, and he didn't have to spend the entire night alone. The downside was that Rodrick would probably end up winning this thing they had going. Sighing, he resigned himself to defeat, and he followed Holly around, helping her find Heather.

Holly shouted something, but Greg could hardly hear her.

"What?!" he shouted over the blaring music.

"I said it's very loud!" Holly replied. "Where could she be?!"

Greg looked around. To his left, a bunch of drunken teenagers were making out in the kitchen, and he scratched that location off of his mental list. In front of him, several high schoolers populated the living room, either smoking weird substances or grinding each other to bad music. Both Greg and Holly raised their heads to find Heather, but they didn't have any luck.

Greg took a few steps forward and located some stairs to his right.

"Maybe she's up there!" Greg shouted.

He climbed up the stairs and Holly followed closely behind. Together, they tried to avoid intoxicated adolescents pushing away everything around them, and Greg had to pull Holly out of the way when one senior tripped over his own foot and tumbled down the steps. On his way, the senior bumped into teenage girl, accidentally knocking her off the stairway, and she landed straight onto some jock's lap on the couch below.

"Oh my god," Holly gasped.

"As funny as that was, we need to find your sister," Greg reminded her.

"True," she nodded, and they retreated to the upstairs hallway.

Though the house still smelled bad, it wasn't as loud, nor as populated, and Greg took the opportunity to catch his breath. Holly looked in both directions of the hallway and counted the rooms. After carefully listening to any voices coming from any of the rooms, she grabbed Greg's arm and opened one, only to discover it was a bathroom.

"Oh, gross," Greg gagged.

One sophomore was bent over the toilet, puking up whatever she had eaten earlier, and a junior couple was making out in the shower. Disgusted, Holly pulled Greg along and left the bathroom. They checked another room only to see that it was empty and Holly huffed in frustration.

"I have no idea when my parents are going to be back," Holly complained. "And I have no idea where my sister is."

Greg heard strange noises coming from a room further down and approached the door two doors down on the opposite wall. He stopped in front of it and listened for the noises, which grew louder the closer he got to the door. He shrugged and gestured toward Holly, who approached the door and listened. She gestured toward the doorknob.

"That sounds like my sister," she said. "Open it."

Greg struggled with the door at first, but when he finally got it to budge, it swiftly swung open, causing Greg to stumble. Once he oriented himself, he looked at the sight in front of him, and his jaw dropped.

"What the hell?" Holly cried.

Heather was straddling a senior that Greg recognized as one of Rodrick's band-mates. Embarrassed, Heather got off the bed and hid behind it, quickly putting on some clothes, and the senior boy appeared too disoriented to understand what was going on.

"What the fuck, Holly?" Heather shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"Looking for you!" she replied. "You're grounded, remember? I'm risking my butt to get you home before our parents find out!"

"What are two eighth graders doing at a high school party?" the senior asked, his words slurred. He then pointed at Greg. "Hey, don't I know you?"

All of the sudden, Holly and Greg heard Angie and Rodrick's voices from outside the room, and Heather seethed as she hurried to get dressed. Meanwhile, the band member did absolutely nothing, and when Rodrick appeared in the doorway, all he did was grin and fold his hand into the rock-and-roll gesture.

"Oh my god!" Rodrick gasped. "Holy shit! You and Heather Hills?!"

The band member only nodded.

"Get the fuck out of here, all of you!" Heather shrieked.

Angie appeared behind Rodrick and gasped. Pissed off, Heather threw one of the band-mate's shoes at the group, and Rodrick barely managed to dodge it. The band-mate watched his shoe fly and quickly jumped off the bed, unaware of his nudity. Both Holly Hills and Angie Steadman gagged and looked away as the band-mate shoved Rodrick out of the way and retrieved his shoe.

"Woah, hold the fuck up, dude," Rodrick laughed and pulled his band-mate back into the room. "We gotta have proof, no one will believe this!"

"What the hell?" both Holly and Heather shouted.

Before anyone could do anything, Rodrick took out his phone and snapped a picture of his nude band-mate and a scantily clad Heather Hills. Angie rolled her eyes and abandoned the scene, Heather hurriedly dressed herself, and Holly leaped for Rodrick's phone in attempt to cover for her sister. Greg, however, was too confused to realize what was going on.

"What's your problem?" Rodrick asked when Holly attempted to knock the phone out of his hand.

"That's my sister!" Holly shouted.

"You goddamned jerk!" Heather shrieked.

Heather leaped for Rodrick's phone, but Rodrick jumped back into the hallway and went to his left, dodging Heather by a few inches. Greg and Holly exited the room to witness Rodrick pressing several buttons on his phone and Heather leaping onto his back in attempt to stop him. Holly tried to get in front of Rodrick to take his phone, but he kept raising it so it would be out of her reach, and Greg froze in place, unsure of what to do.

"Greg, help!" Holly shouted.

Suddenly back in focus, Greg resorted to the same tactic Holly did, but Rodrick kept laughing at all of their attempts to stop him. After a while of jumping, Greg stopped, curled his right hand into a fist, and punched Rodrick in the stomach. Surprised, but unfazed, Rodrick lowered his arms in a mocking expression.

"You call that a punch, dork?" he asked.

Quickly, Holly grabbed the phone from his hand and ran with it, but Rodrick did nothing but grin as Heather got off of him.

"What's so funny?" Heather asked.

"Oh, nothing," Rodrick said. "It's just that I already posted it online."

"What?!" Heather shrieked.

"What the hell?" Greg asked.

Heather kicked Rodrick in the gut and turned toward the bathroom while Greg glared at his older brother. Though Heather's kick made Rodrick double over, the drummer started to chuckle, and he straightened up both his back and his expression.

"Oh, Greg," he laughed. "Why do you have to be such a _dork_?"

"Why do you have to be such a jerk?" Greg shouted.

Rodrick bent down, his hands on his knees, and spoke in a condescending tone. "Oh, little brother, it's called being in high school." He looked in the direction that Holly had run in. "Now that other little dork still has my phone."

Panicked, Rodrick ran down the stairs, and Greg retreated to the empty room. He closed the door and looked around. There was a master bed, a long dresser on the opposite wall, and a painting hung up. Opposite that wall, Greg located a door that led to a private bathroom, and he jumped in surprise when he saw that door open.

Luckily, it turned out to be Angie.

"Oh, hey, Greg," she sighed. "The party was getting too much. I had to take a break."

"I do too," Greg said. "Especially Rodrick. He's so into getting popular that he uploaded a half-naked picture of Heather Hills on the Internet with his band-mate."

"Did you try to stop him?" Angie asked.

"Holly and I both," Greg said. "We weren't successful. Holly still has his phone, but she still has to get her sister home, and I don't know what's going to happen to Heather when she goes back to school or home."

"Sounds tough," she sighed. "Seems like we both had a rough night. Want a hug?"

Pleasantly surprised by her friendly invitation, he accepted, and she gently squeezed him for a short moment. Unfortunately, a short moment was all that they needed for the door to burst open, for Rodrick to glare at them, for everything to go wrong, and for him to utter the following words.

"Greg Heffley, you are _so _dead!"

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry guys, I haven't updated this story in a while. I was looking at several of my discontinued fics, found this one, and decided to write this one again.<strong>


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